Swallowed - Chapter 22

The resort changed every year, but it was always more or less the same. While the Sunbaes had little interest in the resort itself, the freshmen’s faces were full of excitement. The river in front of the resort reflected the strong sunlight, showing off its bright blue beauty. The upperclassmen already knew that water sports weren’t part of their schedule, so they didn’t care about that either.

“Everyone, go to your assigned rooms, unpack, and meet in the auditorium in 30 minutes.”

The class representatives worked hard to organize the students. Seyoung separated from Jaeha and joined the third-year group. Everyone’s mood lifted as they entered rooms that were more spacious and in better condition than last year’s.

“Your boyfriend got roped into being a festival promo staff member.”

「What are you talking about?」

As Seyoung unpacked, Yu-jeong, who had been dying to tell her the news, finally spilled the details.

“He agreed to help promote the pub in exchange for sitting next to you on the bus ride here and back. He’s going to be in charge of drawing in customers.”

Seyoung clicked her tongue in disbelief once she understood what had happened.

“Well, freshmen have to work anyway, whether they’re behind the scenes or out there smiling. He’s really making the most of his good looks, huh? Seriously, Baek Jaeha, overflowing with confidence. How could he bear not seeing you? Come on, spill the tea! I’m dying to know.”

Yu-jeong was so excited about Seyoung’s love life that she acted as if it were her own, while Da-ram, sitting nearby, plugged in her charger and made a remark about how there was no stopping her. She seemed used to this.

「I’d spill if there was anything to spill.」

“Did you really not contact him at all for two years?”

「I didn’t.」

“Is that why he’s like this? From the back, it looked like you two were in your own little world. Anyone watching would’ve thought you were going on a couple’s retreat.”

「We just listened to music with our earphones, that’s all.」

“Yeah, yeah, I bet you shared one each and listened to love songs.”

「Stop teasing me.」

Yu-jeong opened her eyes wide in mock disbelief. How could she stop when this was Han Seyoung’s first monumental relationship after two years of acting like she’d never date anyone? And her boyfriend? A stunningly handsome freshman who had turned the whole campus upside down. How could anyone not be interested?

“I thought only Jaeha had been crushing on you for two years, but now it seems like you were also crushing on him? The way you two immediately started dating gives off that vibe.”

Da-ram, who was quietly looking over the schedule, chimed in with a comment. Seyoung found Da-ram’s one-liners sharper than the noisy excitement from Yu-jeong. Sure enough, Yu-jeong latched onto her words and stared at Seyoung, her eyes gleaming, waiting for her to answer.

Seyoung tried to use the bathroom as an excuse to escape, but she was caught by Yu-jeong, who even wrapped her legs around Seyoung’s waist and tried to tickle her. Seyoung panicked. She was extremely ticklish, and Yu-jeong knew it all too well, using it to her advantage.

“Aha, haha, ack!”

Seyoung let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan, which only encouraged Yu-jeong to keep tickling her. The quiet voice Seyoung rarely used was actually softer and prettier than Yu-jeong had expected.

Tears streamed down Seyoung’s face as she laughed, desperately slapping Yu-jeong’s legs.

“Are you going to talk, or should I keep tickling you?”

Yu-jeong paused her assault, pretending to be generous by giving Seyoung a chance. She wiggled her fingers in front of Seyoung’s face as if threatening to tickle her again. Seyoung, her eyes brimming with tears, squirmed and reached for her phone.

「You’re so mean. You know how ticklish I am.」

“You could’ve just told me from the start.”

「Fine. I liked him. Why else would I date him? Happy now?」

“Kyaa!”

Yu-jeong squealed like she was the one who had just received a confession. Da-ram looked on with an exasperated expression but couldn’t help smiling.

“I’m so curious about your high school days. How did you meet, and how did you end up liking each other? I want to know everything.”

「There’s not much to tell.」

Having finally escaped from Yu-jeong’s grasp, Seyoung kept her distance to avoid being caught again. Although Yu-jeong snickered, she mercifully decided to let it go for now, saying they could take things one step at a time. Seyoung let out a sigh of relief and grabbed her makeup pouch, making a quick escape to the bathroom.

***

The students gathered in the auditorium, where the student council president led the introductions. Jaeha was among the freshmen, and his tall frame made him stand out from anywhere in the room.

The freshmen all came forward one by one to introduce themselves. As per tradition, they had been told on the bus ride to come up with a unique way to introduce themselves. If they just stood still and introduced themselves normally, the upperclassmen—especially the sophomores—would boo them and refuse to let them go. At the very least, they had to raise their hands and cheer. Most added cute little dances while stating their name and student ID. A few even did popular dances, drawing loud applause.

「Jaeha didn’t prepare anything, did he?」

“Didn’t you tell him?”

「I forgot.」

She had completely forgotten about it. It wasn’t even last year—more like two years ago—so it had been erased from her memory. Seyoung looked at Jaeha with a worried expression. Just in time, it was his turn.

“Wow!”

But without a hint of nervousness, he confidently waved his hand and broke into the “Millilak” dance. His natural moves made it seem like he had done this more than once. As he waved his hand beside his head in rhythm, he played with the beat. His long limbs added a certain flair, and even just swinging them casually gave off a sense of swagger. He introduced himself with a strong, clear voice and walked back in a lively, carefree manner.

“No need to worry. Is there anything he can’t do?”

Now that she thought about it, he had dressed up in drag and danced at their high school festival during their first year. She remembered he was quite good at girl group dances. Suddenly, she wanted to watch the festival video again, and a smile tugged at her lips. Despite the distance, she thought their eyes met. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Seyoung felt like he was looking directly at her. When she mimicked clapping, his smile deepened.

“You, over there, the girlfriend! You’re excited because your boyfriend is amazing, huh? Are you enjoying this?”

The student council president, who was acting as the MC, had caught her. Seyoung pressed her lips together, embarrassed. Meanwhile, Yu-jeong was practically rolling with laughter, thrilled that Seyoung had been singled out.

“As you all know, this couple is crazy. It’s not easy for a third-year and a freshman to fall for each other, but these two started dating at the opening general meeting! Let’s give them a round of applause! They’re officially the best-looking couple in the department!”

Ugh, this is ridiculous, Seyoung thought, feeling like she wanted to disappear into a hole as she awkwardly accepted the applause. Ever since Jaeha had enrolled, Seyoung had been receiving a lot more attention because of him. Before, her muteness had often put her in the spotlight, but this kind of attention was completely different. She felt so embarrassed that she wanted to curl up into a ball.

“Don’t break up! You’ve received the department’s blessing, so if you break up quickly, we won’t let it slide. At least wait until I graduate.”

The last line was delivered with a straight face, as if the student council president truly meant it, which sent the crowd into another round of laughter. Everyone but Seyoung, that is. She couldn’t even smile. Jaeha’s gaze was locked on her, intense and unwavering. Though there were plenty of people between them, his stare made it feel like they were the only two in the room. Not wanting to read too much into it, Seyoung slowly lowered her eyes.

The academic seminar schedule was packed. Well, to be precise, the first-years had a packed schedule. The third-years had nothing to do but watch, while the freshmen were busy preparing for talent shows and dances.

“Sunbae.”

Despite being so busy, with no time to spare, Jaeha came looking for Seyoung. She was sitting in her room with her classmates, eating snacks, when she looked up in surprise to see him standing at the door. He greeted the other Sunbaes politely but didn’t come inside, perhaps because it was a girls’ room.

“Come in. Why are you standing there like you’re being shy?”

At that moment, Seyoung’s classmate, Kim Ye-mi, laughed and motioned for him to come inside. Seyoung hadn’t even gotten up yet. With a quick “Excuse me,” Jaeha took off his shoes and walked in, naturally sitting next to Seyoung. Everyone in the room let out a light chuckle.

「How did you get here? Isn’t it talent show practice time?」

“Our group is done.”

「Already?」

It had only been 30 minutes since practice had started, so not only Seyoung but also everyone else looked surprised. Yu-jeong, putting on a stern face, wagged her finger at him.

“Hey. Don’t just slack off and show up later without practicing properly. We give you two hours for a reason. It’s not to ruin the vibe, but to make sure you do a good job.”

“It’s the kind of thing you can’t practice too much. We’ve prepared well, so just enjoy watching.”

“Man, how can you be so slick? Are you living a second life or something?”

Suspicious, Yu-jeong narrowed her eyes at him. He wasn’t nervous at all, despite sitting in front of his Sunbaes. The so-called talent show was practically torture for most freshmen, who suffered while trying to come up with ideas and felt awkward performing in front of the upperclassmen.

But he looked completely relaxed. It seemed like nothing could make him flustered.

「Do you think you’ll win first place?」

At Seyoung’s question, Jaeha smiled brightly. It seemed like they had prepared something impressive. If it wasn’t something they could practice a lot, what gave him so much confidence? Yu-jeong asked if it was a dance, but he shook his head, saying he wouldn’t spoil it with a smile. Then, as if that wasn’t the point, he casually changed the subject.

“Seyoung sunbae, there’s a river out front. Want to take a walk?”